Ben Fishwick

Hampshire police under fire after hula hooping stunt attracts scorn

A 10-year-old girl has made a heartfelt plea to David Cameron to help the family of a missing toddler.

Campaigners marched on Downing Street this afternoon to hand in the letter from schoolgirl Sian Jebb.

Relatives and friends of Katrice Lee gather in London today.

It was the centrepiece of a new drive to get access to Royal Military Police files on the disappearance of soldier’s daughter Katrice in Germany in 1981.

Her relatives, including her sister and mother who both live in Gosport, are renewing their plea for more help from the Government on the 31st anniversary of the toddler’s disappearance.

Sian Jebb, whose family are friends of Katrice’s family, wrote in her letter to the Prime Minister: ‘If I was taken from my Mum and Dad I would feel lost, worried and upset and I would like the Prime Minister to help find me.

‘You have helped Madeline McCann’s mum and dad and I am so sad because you have not helped Sharon and Natasha and her dad.

L-R Natasha Lee & Sian Jebb outside Downing Street.

‘I’m asking you to help them get Katrice’s case files released from the Army police. A good Prime Minister would help and if you lost a child you would have everyone help you.

‘Please do not ignore this letter and I would like a reply please. If you decide not to help them, I would like you to tell me why not and also tell me why you helped Mr and Mrs McCann and not them.

‘She needs to know her real Mum, Dad and sister. We need to tell the whole world about Katrice. I will never vote ever when I am older if you cannot help one family out.’

Katrice’s family and their friends are demanding that files from an investigation into her disappearance are released.

The Royal Military Police inquiry was launched after Katrice went missing from a NAAFI supermarket in Paderborn, Germany, on her second birthday on November 28, 1981. Her father was based there as a soldier in the British Army of the Rhine.

Katrice’s sister Natasha, 38, and mother Sharon, both of Gosport, along with her father Richard, claim that the original investigation carried out by the Royal Military Police was flawed.

They were joined on the march, from St James’s Park to Downing Street, by members of Mr Lee’s former regiment, the 15th/19th The King’s Royal Hussars.

After handing in the letter at No10, together with another from a former Army comrade of Katrice’s father, Natasha Lee said: ‘Basically it’s now more of a case to wait to see if they respond to the veterans and to Sian and hopefully we’ll get a meeting with Cameron or something,

‘I’m not quite sure what will happen, or if he’ll even respond to be honest, he usually gets his secretary to respond.’

Katrice’s mother Sharon said the family had been heartened by the support they received today.

‘It actually gives you the support and the impetus to carry on, there are moments when you feel a bit down and “I can’t do this anymore” but when people like that get behind you and you realise that you’re not alone, that there are other people that care, not only about us but particularly about Katrice’ she said.

‘It gives me strength to continue on, it’s very uplifting.’

Last week, an appeal and reconstruction on the BBC1 programme Crimewatch led to new calls to the RMP from people who believe they can help with the inquiry.

The family’s deputation to Downing Street was arranged by Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage, who earlier this month raised Katrice’s case in the Commons.

Click here if you would like to sign the family’s online petition calling for RMP files to be released

Click here to hear Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage raising the case of Katrice Lee in the Commons earlier this month.